Processing artificial thread



June 9, 1936. E, B R-[ 2,043,750

PROCESSING ARTIFICIAL THREAD Filed Marci 21, 1931 Poul ffim riaon, -I|| van-run Patented June 9, 1936 PATENT OFFICE PROCESSING ARTIFICIAL THREAD Paul E. Harrison, Nashville; Tenn, assignor to Du Pont Rayon Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 21,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a process for handling an unsupported package of thread in preparation for fluid treatment. More particularly the invention relates to the treatment of bucket cakes in the manufacture of artificial thread.

In the process of manufacturing artificial thread to which this invention relates the artificial thread is withdrawn from the spinning baths and is carried in the form of a thread into the central portion of a bucket rotating at high velocity. By means of mechanical contrivances which will be known to persons skilled. in the art, the thread is formed on the inside of the bucket into a cylindro-conical cake. After the cake has reached a given size it is removed from the bucket and purified. It is desirable to purify in the cake form but this has not been satisfactory with large and thick cakes because of the long time required; consequently, large, thick cakes have been usually reeled into skeins, washed, desulfured, and bleached, and then wound on spindles for transportation to the place of use.

It is an object of this invention to improve the handling of bucket cakes so that they may be 25 quickly purified in cake form. Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in part set forth as the description proceeds.

The objects of the invention are accomplished by softening the bucket cake without causing substantial derangement of the interlacing structure of the threads. This softening may be accomplished by kneading, by elongating, or by deforming the cake in any suitable manner. The term soften is herein used to cover any method wherein a yarn package is subjected to mechanical treatment designed to soften it or to open the interlacing structures of the threads. In no case, of course, will the kneading or other softening be continued to a degree such that difiiculty will be experienced in unwinding the thread from the treated cake.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side view of one form of elongating mechanism in operation. Figure 2 is an end view of the same mechanism. Figure 3 is a diagrammatic showing of a cake before processing. Figure 4 is a diagrammatic showing of the same cake after processing.

In the practice of my invention a bucket cake (4) is taken from the spinning bucket and is placed over a roller (2) and a guide roller (3). A presure roller (I) is then moved to a position to bear upon the outside of the cake and one, or two, or all of the rollers are driven to revolve the cake until it is sufliciently softened and the interlacing of the threads is sufficiently opened 1931, Serial No. 524,308

to permit eificient and thorough penetration of purifying fluids. Usually six revolutions with sufficient pressure succeed in opening a cake sufficiently. In practice an elongation of-between one-half inch and one and one-half inches starting with a cake four inches long and five-eighths of an inch in thread thickness produces good results, but greater or less elongation may be preferred. It will be understood that the amount of elongation which is advantageous will vary with the thickness of the cake and the character of the thread.

Other methods of softening than by use of a roller will occur to persons interested.

I have tested cakes before and after elongation for hardness and have found that cakes elongated less than 20% were reduced in hardness 50% and required only 40% of the time necessary to purify a similar but unworked cake.

Heretofore it has been considered unwise and impracticable to soften a cake before treatment. It is my discovery that softening can be carried out without causing tangling of the threads, and that the coning from softened cakes is excellent. Indeed, cakes which have been treated by my process are more easily handled, have a higher winding efiiciency, and less breakage than the cakes taken directly from the spinning bucket. I consider that the idea of softening the cake to secure an improved result is broadly novel.

My invention makes the processing of bucket cakes, whether of large or small dimensions, better and quicker because the opening of the interlacing of the threads permits the treating liquids, whether they be purifying, dyeing, washing, or other liquids, to penetrate the cake with greater facility. This is true whether a drip method of processing, or a vacuum method of processing, or a centrifugal method of processing is adopted.

While I have described this invention from the point of manufacturing viscose yarn, it can be easily seen that it is as applicable to the cuprammonium artificial thread process, and to other artificial thread processes; in short, it is applicable to any process where a softening, or an opening of the interlacing of .a yarn package is desirable before treatment.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

2 if Q I claim:

1. In the manufacture of artificial thread wherein the thread is spun into buckets, the step which comprises mechanically working and elongating the bucket cake by passing the same be- 7 tween pressure rollers, and thereafter processing the cake by fluid treatment.

2. In the manufacture of artificial thread wherein the thread is spun into buckets, the step which comprises mechanically working and elongating the bucket cake by passing the same between pressure rollers, one of said rollers contacting the inner periphery of the bucket cake and 15 another of said rollers contacting the outer pe- .riphery of the said bucket cake, and thereafter processing the cake by fluid treatment.

3. In the manufacture of artificial thread wherein the thread is spun into buckets, the steps which comprise mechanically working and elongating the bucket cake by passing the same between presure rollers, one of said rollers contacting the inner periphery of the bucket cake and another of said rollers contacting the outer periphery of the said bucket cake, and guiding said bucket cake by means of a guide disposed in contact with the inner periphery of said cake,

and thereafter processing the cake by fluid treatment.

PAUL E. HARRISON. 15 

